Lower Pine

Total Miles
1.8

Elevation

2,153.52 ft

Duration

0.5 Hours

Technical Rating

4

Moderate

Best Time

Spring, Fall, Winter

Trail Overview

Lower Pine is a 2-mile single track in the Manzanita Mountain Trail System that starts at the Lower Pine Trailhead on the north end and goes south to the intersection with Gear Grinder. This trail has several very rocky climbs/descents with slab rock, small ledges, and loose rock. The north end has one big slab obstacle right away of moderate difficulty and then goes through a grassy valley bottom with fewer rocks. The trail climbs 400 feet up to the intersection with Gear Grinder and Pinyon, with several steeper climbs that are trickier with rock ledges. If riding south to north, note that there is a misleading trail sign at the entrance of the Pinyon Trail that makes it look like Lower Pine goes northeast on a hike/horse-only trail. The actual start of the Lower Pine Trail when coming from the south is right next to Gear Grinder and starts off looking like a wider two-track. The trail sign just isn't in the right place.

Photos of Lower Pine

Lower Pine
Lower Pine

Difficulty

Lower Pine is an intermediate single track with moderate obstacles such as slab rock, several foot-high ledges, and very rocky climbs/descents.

Technical Rating

4

Status Reports

There are no status reports yet for this trail.

Access Description

The Manzanita Mountain Trail System is a very well-maintained multi-use area popular for hiking, horses, mountain biking, and dirt bikes. There are 40+ trails ranging from a mile to 5 miles long of varying difficulties between easy and advanced in a Chihuahuan desert terrain in the Cibola National Forest. There's enough trails for 2-3 days of riding, and is best in fall and spring when it's not too hot. Be aware of oncoming traffic since there are lots of tight turns and it can be busy. There are several staging areas from the north off of Chamiso Canyon Road, as well as the Tunnel and Pine Flat Trailheads along State Road 337, and from the south at the Oak Flat Trailhead.

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